BACKGROUND: The Officer’s M38 overseas field cap was originally introduced on December 6TH 1938 as a replacement for the old pattern visored field cap that had been introduced in March 1934. The design of the Officer’s M38 overseas cap was based on the M34 overseas cap as worn by EM/NCO’s. Originally the M38 was only produced in field-grey until March 27TH 1940 when a black panzer version for Panzer officers was introduced. Officer and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own caps and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their caps from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase visor caps of higher quality. Company and Field grade Officer’s M38 overseas caps were piped with bright silver aluminum braid while Officer’s with Generals ranks utilized bright gilt braid piping. The German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s national eagle by order on February 17TH 1934, with instructions to have it applied to all steel helmets, visor caps, and tunics by May 1ST 1934. Regulations followed on October 30TH 1935 that stipulated the national eagle was also to be applied to all field caps. On March 14TH 1933 the Weimar Reichswehr era oval black, red and gold cockade was replaced with a circular cockade in black, white, and red and was utilized through-out the Third Reich period. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe color with bright red being chosen for Artillerie, (Artillery) personnel. Originally the Officer’s M38 overseas caps, were outfitted with an identifying branch of service soutache until regulations of July 10TH 1942 abolished the use of the soutache and instructed it to be removed from the caps, although the directive was not strictly adhered to.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: EM/NCO M34 cap that has been period upgraded to an officer cap. Typical M34 feldgrau wool body with added officer’s piping and insignia. The front center of the cap has a machine woven, national eagle in bright, silver/aluminum, flat-wire threads on a cut-out, woven, dark green rayon base. The eagle is neatly machine and handstitched to the cap. The front center of the fold down panels has a high relief, hand embroidered national tri-color cockade in twisted black and silver/aluminum wire threads with a red wool center dot. The cockade is flanked by red waffenfarbe soutache in an inverted "V" pattern. The soutache is applied in the proper manner running through slashes at the seam near the caps bottom edge and machine stitched in place. Complete original cotton/rayon lining. Interestingly the original owner also had a partial sweatband added to the front of the cap. Roughly a size 56. Nice worn and used example showing the expected age and wear.